Elements of the Past
by Overlord-Flinx
Summary: The Elements of Harmony, a tale from a millennia of tongues and texts. A tale of might and magic; of the tests of time and bonds. A tale of holds the epic of the past of they, and those who wielded them through struggle, friendship... and tragedy.
1. Chapter one: Elements

**First off, thank you for reading this story... Well I'm done, enjoy.**

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"The Elements of Harmony", a begotten tale from a millennia of whispering tongues and vapid texts. A tale of might and magic; of the tendrils of time vibratimng and rattling. Of masons forging with tools crafted by higher beings to bore heirlooms of immense power. A tale of—

"Star Swirl! Enough of thy prattling!" a booming voice shot through the elder pony's ear, ending his personal monolog.

"A tale that a hostile princess has intended to curtail…" the elderly pony grumbled with a hoof going to adjust his pointed hat with a celestial design.

Beside the yellow coated stallion garbed in an olden robe with bells imbedded on the hems, was a tall, elegant mare with a dark coat and a sleek mane composed of celestial bodies dancing within it. They both delivered displeased frowns at one another but continued down the hedge guarded road they ventured down. Time passed with only chirps from the Canterlot fauna to complement the two ponies' rhythmic steps along side each other.

Star Swirl, or Star Swirl the Bearded as the scholars and unicorn trainees called him, was a stout comparison in regards to the royal company he was keeping down this path. Princess Luna, the Princess of the Night, was rarely ever out and about when her sister's glory had illuminated the skies, but duties had called her to be present and awake at this hour. In spite of that, she had decided to place the shade of an umbrella over her head so as not to let the light grace her dark body.

"…We should not have yelled at thee…" Luna said with a softer but still echoing voice.

Star Swirl, though not as old as the sisters that ruled the land of Equestria, was beyond his years in understanding and reasoning compared to the rest of the denizens. The youth of his life was spent, not studying magic, but creating new paths through it. Because of his understanding, he shirked out a half-hoped grin at the royal mare. "'Tis alright, your majesty. One would not expect you to hold high aptitude at this hour. Truly, a being of the night is not particularly—"

Once more, this time with a swat of her shoed hoof, the princess cut in. "Star Swirl, we have no time for thy rambles. Verily I tell thee, it would be most imprudent of we to delay our rendezvous with our summoner."

He understood completely, but that didn't stop Star Swirl from giving a disgruntled huff. "'Rambles'? 'Prattling'? Age has done little to hone your respect, princess," Star Swirl told Luna.

"Thy blind honesty will surely weigh thee down, wizard," Luna said in a quip.

And so the silence fell back onto their path, save the chirps of birds and rustles of the hedge walling the path. Butting heads as they may have been, they both inwardly were very pleased with each other's company. It was fortune that the two of them had run into one another on the way to the castle; because when they thought about it, they each could've been a lot worse when compared to who they could've run into.

They seemed to have come across the same thought, seeing as they had both begun to smile. "…Star Swirl?" Luna broke the silence after her nerves had been shaken by the thought, "These 'Elements of Harmony' thy mentioned… Celestia speaks of it often. Pray tell what do they serve purpose in?" Luna was many things, but a studier wasn't one of them.

It was common knowledge among Canterlot scholars what the elements were; but the princesses had little need of this knowledge given their advance years. At least, this was Luna's philosophy. "As I said –or better what I was going to say before you cut in on my monolog- they are five powerful treasures that are embodiments of five fundamental traits for –obviously- harmony."

"Ancient relics? We are as old as this very land. What could possibly outstretch us?" Luna questioned skeptically.

"Do you doubt me?" Star Swirl asked; voicing as if it were unthinkable.

"Age has tolled on thy mind, wizard…"

The elder pony nearly exploded at that comment. She was far older than him… but he knew better then to snap at the Princess of the Night. Instead, he was prepared with a counter. "Celestia believes this all to be in truth; do you doubt her?"

Luna narrowed her eyes, furious at the notion. Low as her voice would go, she muttered from under her shade, "We would never distrust sister. If she thinks it holds truth, it surely must hold truth…"

"True devotion… always admirable from you, Luna." It was a small compliment, but they both knew the gravity of those words to Luna.

"Enough of your prying, wizard," Luna marked, for once her voice slipping out of any escalated or diminished leveling, "Ye spoke of 'fundamental traits'?"

Not one to miss a beat on a chance to lecture, Star Swirl reared himself to give his piece. "Harmony is said to be born from five fundamental forces: honesty that echoes through the ages; loyalty that can never be broken; kindness which flows over the lands; generosity with endless depth; and laughter charms all that hear. It was said that there was a sixth… but it was concluded as an old pony's tale," Star Swirl explained.

"Verily… five elements born from honesty, laughter, loyalty, kindness, and generosity are far too concrete to be viewed as lore; but a sixth is just madness…" Luna pointed out sarcastically but still smiled down at her cloaked friend.

"Say what you will, princess," ignoring her, he continued on, "but the depth of what these powers could do can revolutionize magic itself. Perhaps they could aid fillies and colts master scrolls of magic in minutes instead of years. The possibilities are endless. Think with me for a moment, perhaps-"

Luna paid Star Swirl only a partial listen as he went back into a lengthy explanation; his words could very well be truth, but it did not affect her. No; all that mattered at this moment was getting to her sister, meet with the rest of the assembly, then go back to her room so she could sink back into rest.

It wasn't too much of a burden for her to be out in the morning, but the morning light meant many painful things to her. And one of them lived in this garden…

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**I think it's a pretty good start so far... what do you think? I'm sure you can guess where this is going (particularly so if you can guess the picture I got this idea from). Even so, I hope you stick with me and enjoy this story. Or perhaps enjoy another story I wrote, who knows?**

**Anyway, I want to send to to Equestria Daily, but I don't think it's ready yet... Ideas?**


	2. Chapter two: Existence

**Let's keep on rolling!**

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Twists and turns; petrified ponies encrusted with overgrowth of untended vines littering those very twists and endless turns; an eerie feel surrounding the elegant majesty of the Canterlot Castle. But why? A dark, looming hedge maze entangled around the overcast of the castle's base; but why? No pony knew, no pony understood; why would the princess construct such an eerie attraction beside their mighty palace. It was simple when one would really think about it… It was irrational.

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Not a pony would set foot inside that cursed maze this early in the day, so the single resident within the twisting hedge walls made no attempt to cloak itself. Its hodgepodge of four limbs moved slowly against the soft tufts of the grass below. Rarely did he ever get peace outside of his own lair, so the time to relish in what little he had now was short. With a whip if a crimson tail, it cocked its awkward head. "…Why am I walking?" he questioned himself in a hushed tone.

With a sharp snap of his neck he frowned as if looking at himself. "To be fair," holding a lion paw up, he gestured around him, "You're in a maze, so you have to walk out… flying or magic would be cheating."

Snapping back to his original spot, he groaned. "Fair? How dull…" but he knew 'he' was right so he made no other objections against himself as he ventured down the winding path.

Abominable flaps of his awkward wings along with the soft presses of his feet to the grassy turf became the only noise that existed in the dismal maze. Gradually, his yellow and red eyes began to droop limply, growing tired of this dull act of venturing through a maze. Drooping lazier, duller, and gradually by each passing second. But, as he took in an overdrawn sigh into his slacked muzzle, his flapped cow ear twitched at a sudden sound.

Chatter. Chatter in the maze no less. Chatter from the other side of the wall more so. In a slithering manner, his long body whizzed down the path faster so as to hook his long head around the end of the wall, peering his eyes hungrily to where this noise came from. His teeth showed into a crooked smile as the sight came to him; two little earth ponies standing by one of the many statues placed throughout the maze. "I swear the exit was right here!" one of them said, her voice betraying what calm she was trying to show.

"Come on! If we don't hurry, it'll find us!" the other started to panic.

"You believe that pony tale? Princess Celestia's guards only made up that story to keep fillies and colts from coming in… there's no such thing as a draconequus."

That crooked smile across the beast's face grew wider as he held in a chuckle, pinching his leg with the talons of his other arm to stifle it. "B-But—"

"But nothing. Now let's hurry… this place gives me the—" just then, a sharp snap echoed through the hedges.

Both of the ponies turned to the origin of the sound behind them, only to see the statue of the mare behind them had started to rattle about. Both of the ponies grew stiff while the statue only grew more animated, the overgrowth that had settled onto the curves of the statue snapping off as if chains off of a captured beast. Slowly, the statue began to move its stone limbs and move from off of its pedestal, causing the dirt floor beneath the two ponies to rumble ever-so. The two only looked up at the animated statue, into its empty eyes as it crouched down to their level, leaning in with the sound of stone scraping against stone. "…Boo…" it said with a stiffly moving mouth in a boomingly low voice.

The air became filled with the sharp scream of the two ponies as they turned tail and dashed in the opposite direction, ignoring the hedge wall completely and just cutting rough swabs through the obstacles for the quickest way out of the horrifying maze. If the two had stayed for just another moment, they would have heard the escalated cackling of the draconequus that inhabited the maze.

Discord, a name dubbed onto him by the first to ever meet him, Princess Celestia. A fitting name for a draconequus; meshes of different beasts blended into one seamless construct. He alone lived within the confines of that twisting maze; shielding his appearance from prying eyes. However, it wasn't by his choice, but a courtesy done onto him by princess Celestia. Many feared the idea of such a monstrosity; of an abomination.

Discord reviled in his laughter while he began to float into the air and closer to the living statue. Resting his lion elbow on the head of the statue, he wiped a tear away from his eye. "Ponies. Always good for a laugh… oh," looking down the path, he noticed the rips through the hedge that the two ponies had made, seeing the open field outside of the maze through the gashes, "Would you look at that? Seems we have an exit," he commented to the statue, "…Well I'd love to stay, you seem like an interesting pony, _granite _a little hardheaded, but either way I'm expected at the castle; Celestia wanted…" tapping his fist against the head, he chuckled once more.

In a quick slithering speed, Discord scurried himself through the new passage, brushing his lengthy body against the leaves and broken twigs. In moments, he had found himself on the outskirts of one the outer hedge's walls. Around him were the shapes of more elegant statues then the ones that were scattered about within the twisting labyrinth. Unlike the ones that he usually found around him, these statues were carved from marble and had been cut clean of the overgrowth that decorated the maze statues.

After a short look, Discord picked himself up onto his two hind legs with a shift of his scaly red tail. "And I thought it would take longer to get out…" quickly, his attention was lost from the statues in favor of the massive castle out to the side of him; more so what he saw moving towards the castle.

Guests to the castle were not foreign in any means of the word; Celestia would have many parties and assemblies. But what interested Discord about the sight was how unnatural it looked. How often could one say they saw a wizard with bells on his cloak walking besides an alicorn hiding beneath the cast of an umbrella?


	3. Chapter three: Expectation

Five elements. Five elements placed before her. They seemed so simple. Each so much more dull than the gems that studded her royal apparel. Could they not be them? No. There was no mistaking them. Their each defined color, the surge of emotions just looking at them, the gold crests they were placed within; they had to be them.

Many of the Canterlot citizens were left in confusion at the spectacle they had witnessed after princess Celestia had finished her duty of raising the sun. Some claimed that guards had rushed to her and alerted her of some incoming crisis; others say they witnessed a phoenix coming to her with a message between its talons. In a manner of speaking, they were all right as well as wrong. The princess had been informed of the findings of one of her confidants by the words of her guards minutes before her trusted Philomeena had come to her with said findings.

Haste was not wasted as she left her subjects and cloistered herself within her chamber in the castle tower. There, Princess Celestia, the herald of the sun and ruler of Equestria alongside her sister, had taken time to study these relics before her personal council had assembled. Though she had brought the sun up mere moments ago, her chamber was casted into darkness except for the warm flicker of dying fireplace and the soft embers off of Philomeena's preened feathers with the lights dancing across the lavender curtains that banished the suns light out from the chamber. Her eyes crossed between each gem carefully, subconsciously hoping for some sort of reasoning to become clear to her. "…Philomeena?" the phoenix picked its head up from behind the thin bars around it and gave the princess a crooked look, "What would they have me do?" Philomeena cooed softly, "I haven't a clue of how these are assigned… Perhaps this was in ill preparations. They will be here soon, and I have nothing to tell them…" with a soft creek, Philomeena pushed her cage door open and hopped out onto the desk that Celestia had placed the elements on.

The princess looked at her bird curiously, watching it peck at one of the gems –the green one in particular- and pushing closer to Celestia. Giving a warm smile, Celestia offered one of her front legs to Philomeena to perch herself on, which she had quickly taken to. "Yes, perhaps you're right," she laughed softly, rubbing a cheek gently against her bird's small, warm face, "the texts say that only through true expression do the elements produce their full power. At the very least I can offer the elements to my friends and see what becomes of it…" Philomeena chirped before fluttering herself back into her cage, seemingly happy at the change in her master's mood, "It doesn't pay to mention as well that with Star Swirl's input, we will surely figure out the way to use them… We will be able to do so much good Philomeena."

Her nerves had all been lost for the time being, but she still felt there was work to be done. She trusted that with Star Swirl's help, they could find a way to obtain a use for these relics, but it would irresponsible to have called for a meeting and have nothing the show for it other then the source material; not to mention rather embarrassing. It was her choice to summon them out from whatever it was they were doing; even though she was sure Discord wasn't consumed in anything too important judging by the two screams she heard not two minutes ago from the hedge maze. But Star Swirl on the other hoof most definitely was in the middle of a lecture or conjuring up a new spell that would revolutionize the world of magic… again. And Luna, her dear, precious little sister had most likely been woken from her nocturnal rest to attend this summoning.

Celestia could see it now, Luna groggily stepping out into the morning light from her chamber tower and making the 'agonizing' venture between there and her sister's chambers. Along the way, she would most likely cross Star Swirl or Discord, assuming the latter had filled himself on the fun of terrorizing the ponyfolk that absently ventured into his domain. If it had been Star Swirl, the two would've been bickering for a ways over Star Swirl's 'prattling' on a subject that Luna 'didn't need to know'. With those three surely on the way, that left but one more to finish their assembly.

The princess was sure she would come in late, it suited her much better. A dramatic entrance was much more her style over being prompt. But, these were her finds, so a little slack would not be out of the question if she wanted to come in late to the meeting this time.

That left only one more matter left to her care; something to offer the lot of her assembly. Once more, Celestia's attention fell onto the phoenix held up in the golden cage. "Have any ideas, Philomeena?" she jokingly asked, "It would be in pretty bad taste if all I have to show is somebody else's findings…" Philomeena gave the princess another cocked look, as if asking a question, "…No, no, I know I don't need to provide them with anything more then this; but I would just feel rather empty hoofed if I showed up with work that isn't mine alone."

At this, Philomeena pushed her cage door open once more and hopped back onto the face of the desk. Celestia watched carefully, mildly interested in what her pet had to offer. For a short while, Philomeena seemed to search over the desk, stopping suddenly as her eyes set onto a piece of curled parchment. Philomeena plucked the piece up between her sharp, beak and brought it up to Celestia's eyes. The princess looked at the piece curiously; it had no writing on it at all.

Celestia gave Philomeena a confused look, but it was quickly replaced with excitement when she saw Philomeena pluck one of her feathers out from her lush plumage and placed it beside a small glass of ink lying on the table. "A wonderful idea, Philomeena," Celestia complimented, taking the discarded feather into the clutch of her golden magic and gave the parchment a light spread on the table with another glimmer of her magic, "I will construct a list… Marvelous idea." Philomeena gave her wings a light flutter before perching herself back within her cage, shutting her eyes and dimming the dim ember of her wings.

The last sound that graced Philomeena's small ears was the vigorous scribing of a diligent princess; just like any night before. Though the two could never speak directly to one another, Celestia and Philomeena shared an unspoken tongue with one another. That's how Philomeena knew her master would be fine over the next few hours.

She knew; Celestia had always been at one of her most calm states when compiling a list of plans…


End file.
